


An Unstable Moment

by saiditallbefore



Category: Mongolian History RPF
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Huddling For Warmth, Rivals to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-27 22:05:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17775059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saiditallbefore/pseuds/saiditallbefore
Summary: Trouble arises when Khutulun & Chunhua are sent on a scouting mission together.





	An Unstable Moment

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heartfullofelves](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartfullofelves/gifts).



> I’m so glad you requested Mongolian History RPF! I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Title is borrowed from C.S. Giscombe's "First Dream”.

Khutulun entered her honored father, the great Kaidu Khan’s, _ger_ and knelt before him. 

“How may I serve you, Father?” 

He surveyed her for a long moment. “My daughter. Khutulun. I have heard rumors that the armies of Kublai approach.”

Khutulun looked up sharply. “In this season?” Winters on the steppe were harsh— only a fool would seek battle now. Khutulun thought little enough of Kublai, who claimed to be Khan, but she didn’t think even he was such a great fool.

“Indeed.” The frown on her father’s face reflected the worries in Khutulun’s own heart. “We cannot act until we know more. I would ask that you ride to the west and see if these rumors are true.”

Khutulun bowed her head. “As you wish, Father.”

“I would also ask that Chunhua accompany you,” he added. 

Protests arose in Khutulun’s throat— had he forgotten that Chunhua was an assassin? She had tried to kill Kaidu Khan himself, and it was only her pledge to serve him for the rest of her days that kept her alive. They had only her word that she could be trusted. But her father was the Khan, and Khutulun would not disrespect his orders. 

“As you wish, Father.”

* * *

Khutulun had already strapped on her bow and saddled a horse when Chunhua joined her. 

Chunhua bowed stiffly at the waist. “Princess.”

Khutulun acknowledged her with a sharp nod, and urged her horse forward. If enemies were approaching, they had no time to waste on pleasantries— or on petty rivalries.

Only their horses’ hoofbeats broke the silence as they rode. The expanse of the steppe spread all around them— it would be difficult to conceal an army’s movements here. But even the steppe was not entirely flat, and there could be enemy scouts here.

Chunhua was the first to break the silence. “We should turn back,” she said.

“The Khan has given us a mission,” Khutulun said sharply.

“We cannot fulfill his mission if we are killed in a storm!” Chunhua gestured at the dark clouds spreading across the sky.

Khutulun gritted her teeth. Who was Chunhua, to be giving orders? “We ride on,” she said.

* * *

The storm hit like a herd of wild horses. The winds howled around them, whipping the light flurries of snow until they bit at every piece of exposed skin.

Khutulun would never admit it aloud, but Chunhua had been right. They should have made for camp when they had the chance. 

Spying a pair of boulders— the only thing resembling shelter in sight— Khutulun and Chunhua dismounted. They huddled on the side sheltered from the wind, pulling their horses after them.

Though it snowed little on the steppe, winter was bitterly cold, and the winds felt as though they were freezing Khutulun’s very bones.

Despite herself, she huddled closer to Chunhua. 

Khutulun had never looked at Chunhua particularly closely before. She had been more concerned about Chunhua’s motivations than in her appearance. Like Khutulun, the other woman was bundled nearly head-to-toe in furs and vibrantly colored clothing. And here, in the cold and the growing dark, Khutulun couldn’t help but notice the dusting of snowflakes on Chunhua’s eyelashes. 

Shoving that thought away, Khutulun pulled her sleeves down further over her gloves. 

The storm howled on for hours. Khutulun clung tighter to Chunhua. It seemed they might be the only people left in the world, that perhaps the storm had swept everyone else away. Maybe all that was left was her and Chunhua, who was so very close despite the layers of clothing between them.

Finally, the storm abated. It was not gone, not completely, but it had lessened. Khutulun pulled Chunhua to her feet, releasing her hands reluctantly.

“We need to get back to our camp,” Chunhua said.

At the same time, Khutulun said, “We need to continue on.”

Chunhua gave her a dark look. “Don’t be ridiculous! There is no enemy army within sight— if there truly is one, it is nowhere near us. And they will be dealing with the aftermath of the storm as well.”

Khutulun’s first instinct, as always, was to disagree with Chunhua. But she had been right about the storm, and, though she was loath to admit it, it seemed likely she was right about this, too.

She nodded, and they began their long, cold ride back.

* * *

Once safely back at her father’s encampment, Khutulun and Chunhua gave their report to the Khan, before being dismissed to the shelter and warmth of their own _gers_. But Khutulun hesitated, watching as Chunhua ducked inside her _ger_.

Khutulun argued with herself for a moment, then followed Chunhua.

Chunhua, in the middle of unwrapping her garments, whirled around in surprise. “Can I help you?” she asked.

“You were right,” Khutulun said. “And my pride almost got us both killed.”

Chunhua eyed Khutulun for a long moment, as though searching for a trap. Finally, her gaze softened and she clasped her hand around Khutulun’s wrist. 

“Not even you can be without flaws, Khutulun,” she said softly.

Outside the _ger_ , the sun was rising and camp was stirring. But inside, Chunhua’s hand on her wrist was warm and strangely intimate, and Khutulun had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

**Author's Note:**

> In some stories, Khutulun eventually married an assassin who had first attempted to kill her father. In case it wasn’t clear, Chunhua is the genderflipped version of that assassin.


End file.
